I promised myself I would do some writing tonight and it seems I’ve succeeded. I did watch an episode of American Horror Story first but, you know what, that’s ok. I’m here now and that’s what matters. I haven’t posted anything in three months so, for me, the main thing was that I didn’t come home and just get back on the computer and do more work. There have been so many nights where I’ve told myself I’ll write something, anything but then I start with just a little bit of work and next thing I know it’s midnight and… fuck! It’s happened again.

Back in November, I started doing the social media and events for two of Jared’s bars and, at the time, I naively thought I’d be able to do that part time and keep working for my other bosses (albeit reduced hours). Oh boy was I wrong. The social media is fine but the events… They’ve spiralled into so much more than a full time role. This week I’m actually training someone to start helping me because it’s too much for one person. It’s a good problem to have; too many events. And I’m loving it but, god, it’s been a full on six months.

I’ve been working some very long days. For the last I don’t even know how many weeks, there’ve been many nights when I’ll come home and get straight back on the computer to work and won’t get to bed til midnight or 1am. Then I’m back on the computer – back at work – from 9am or 10am. I hate it. Not the job, mind you. Just the workload. The lifestyle. The fact that I literally go from work to bed with no me time aside from maybe watching TV while eating dinner. It sucks but it should get better soon. Even if it doesn’t get better before we go on holiday, it should at least get better when I’m back and the new girl is all trained up and we have our systems in place.

Oh yes. The holiday. The light at the end of the tunnel, our belated honeymoon. Nine weeks of European bliss.

Paris

Barcelona

Rome

Dubrovnik

Sailing the Croatian Islands

Mykonos, Milos and Santorini

Sicily and then a road trip from the Amalfi Coast up to Florence and then back across to Milan.

I cannot fucking wait and thankfully there are only 5.5 weeks until we fly. It can’t come soon enough as far as I’m concerned. It’s starting to get that chill in the air here and little old me will be quite happy to ditch winter in favour of an endless summer. We’ll be back mid-August so we really won’t see too much of winter this year, thank fuck. If we ever become super rich, that will be my request: travel the world so we never see another winter… unless it’s by choice. Fuck. That. Shit. I want to spend my days in as little clothing as legally possible and winter ain’t gonna help me achieve that life goal. No siree, bob.

So yeah, that’s been me for the past six months but I want to do better. Just typing this now makes me realise how much I’ve missed writing. I feel a bit rusty but that’s nothing a bunch of good ol’ practice won’t fix. I just need to make time. Fuck, it’s not like it takes long.

A friend asked me the other day if I was going to get back to my writing once work settled down and, at the time, I thought no. In that moment, I think I just desperately wanted to have just some free time to do absolutely nothing. Maybe to read. Anything. I hadn’t written in so long that it felt like an impossibility. But look at me now! I’m fucking flyin’, Chop! Sorry, that’s Chopper reference. I’m pretty sure it will only make sense to Australians or people that are familiar with Eric Bana’s early work. Watch the movie. You won’t be disappointed.

Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’ve kept my promise to myself and I’m happy with my effort. Now I just need to keep it up. It’s the follow through has always been the tough bit for me.

I’ve been having a somewhat cruise-y time of it of late. I’ve had the public holidays off from any kind of work but have had to do a little bit for Jared on the days when his bars are trading and we need to confirm/take bookings.

During that time, we spent two nights in Merimbula for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Not very relaxing but lots of fun. We then spent from the 2nd to the 7th up at this amazing house in Whale Beach. That was relaxing with a fair smattering of fun thrown in for good measure. Definitely didn’t want to come home but had a comedy show on the night of the 7th and then a music festival on the Sunday. Both well worth coming back for although I wouldn’t have agreed with that statement while I was lazing by the pool in Whale Beach. Glorious pictures below – first one is of a random beach we found in Merimbula while waiting for our flight and the second is the view from our holiday rental in Palm Beach.

Am on a break from my other bosses until Monday and have only had to do a very little bit of work for them – once a week at most – which has been nice. It’s sooo much easier to keep a handle on things when you only have one boss!

Random Merimbula beach

View from house in Whale Beach

Now that we’re back home and returned from the places we spent our New Year break, it’s time to get my ass in gear and get productive. I’ve felt very productive work-wise. Been getting a lot of stuff planned and organised for the events and social media stuff for Jared’s bars. I’m trying to be proactive and think up ways to improve processes and make things run smoother. I know I’ll have less time next week when I start back for my other bosses so I want to get as much as I can done now, while I still have the time.

I also want to start a new photo board for our kitchen wall. I redid it all last year and it would be nice to make some updates to include the various entries and exits our social life has seen. I had also planned to create some photo books with the pics from our wedding and possibly distribute those to our family and maybe the bridal party (depending on costs). Also, I still need to get cracking on those digital marketing and content creation courses I was going to do instead of my usual studies. They’re definitely not as time consuming as my uni degree but I still want to get started.

Oh yes, and the gym. Back to pilates and training I must go. I’m in the process of getting my wedding dress altered (cut shorter) so I can wear it again and, when I went to try it on today, it was more than just a little bit tight around my Xmas stuffing (i.e. my tummy). Thankfully, it was able to be fully zipped up and clasped but it was touch and go for awhile there. So yeah, exercise and better eating is something that’s going to have to happen soon. Why oh why did I find that packet of Tim Tams in the cupboard? That was a very unfortunate event.

So while I do have a decent sized to do list, I’m also not putting any pressure of myself to make any radical changes. 2016 me is still totally acceptable to me although of course there is always room for improvement. 2017 me is ready to go – although I do need to have a quiet word to her about moderation when it comes to eating any sweets she finds in the house. That bitch has no chill.

So, this is my sixth week working from home and, to be honest, I don’t feel like I’m anymore on top of it than I was when I last posted nearly four weeks ago (wow, that’s a pretty shit effort. I apologise). Between the new role with Jared’s bars (event and social media management) and my existing job (albeit with reduced hours) AND my uni work, I feel pretty frantic the majority of the time. I also end up going into the city most days either to take photos for social media or for meetings and site visits so the whole work from home thing isn’t a 100% reality (although I do most of my work from there and I don’t really mind the occasional break and chance to socialise).

That being said, hospitality in December is always hectic with xmas parties and bookings and so forth so I would expect that to be taking up a lot of my time but who knows how much it will drop off after that? I have time off from my other two jobs between 15 Dec and 16 Jan so that will be nice but I have some serious doubts about how sustainable this all is. Granted, I’m usually quite stressed the first two – three weeks of uni so this could be totally normal but part of me is also more than a bit over it.

I’m doing the social media stuff I wanted to be doing. Wasn’t that the goal? I suppose getting a degree was also the goal but I’m so. damn. tired. Maybe I just pause and do a social media/digital marketing course? Or am I just making excuses because I’ve hit a rough patch and there’s too much change in my life and I just want to take a step back and not feel so stressed all the time? I had a look online and my census date (the date after which I get penalised if I pull out of my units) is Monday so I have until then to decide. Of course, I can withdraw after that but it will show on my transcript, which is not ideal.

I really don’t want to quit yet another thing I said I would finish but part of me no longer sees the relevance. I just want to be a normal adult again! I keep getting little tastes of freedom here and there but then it’s so hard to go back and, every time someone asks me what I want to do with my degree, it just reinforces how little I’ve actually thought about what I want to do with this damn thing. *sigh*

I’m liking the variety of what I’ve currently got going on, even if it is a bit of a strain switching between the various roles. The events stuff lets me be organised and have some customer contact while the social media stuff allows me to be creative – writing little snippets of text and taking pictures, which is something I’m definitely improving at with practice. My other roles with my existing bosses is more of the organisation style stuff, which is ok and boosts my hours and brings in more money, which is never a bad thing.

I’ll ponder things this week. I already looked at some social media courses just to see what’s out there plus I have access to this online platform that has a few good social media tutorials so I might have a play around in there and see if anything grabs me.

This week marks my second week of working from home. I have one more week (next week) to get used to everything and start managing my time in preparation for *da da da daaaa* the return of uni *shudder* So far I’ve been doing things willy-nilly, not really thinking much about hours and the response times we put in place, mainly because I didn’t really have that much else going on so I didn’t mind responding to non-urgent emails at 9pm. I’d see a notification flash up on my phone and I’d be curious so I’d read it and then think, well, I may as well answer it. It’ll take two seconds.

And that’s all well and good for now but it’s not going to cut it when I’m back at school. I need strong boundaries in place so I keep enough time aside for my studies. I’m also finding that I’m not spending as much time on work for my other bosses, especially this week. I’m getting everything done that’s necessary but I’ve been pushing a lot of non-time critical stuff back. Not the end of the world by any means but I’m definitely not giving them the time I’d allocated. One boss is fine, she doesn’t need all that much but the other had a significant reduction in his hours. Not that I think he would notice but I do and he certainly will when he sees my timesheet at the end of the fortnight.

I chalk it up to the fact that one of Jared’s bars launched a new cocktail menu this week and so needed more than usual social media. Plus I had to be in the city for a second day to do some site visits with potential event bookings. So I spent a lot more time than what I can only assume is normal (after two weeks of this role) with one particular venue/business. We’ll see, I suppose I can always try and get more done on Fridays when I don’t work for my other bosses. Next week my goal is to do a dry run and stick to my hours and manage my time as if I am already studying so that, when I do actually start, I’m already halfway used to it.

On the upside, I’m pretty chuffed to report that I’ve been going to pilates (three times last week and another three times this week, including tomorrow) and we had a session with our trainer on Wednesday (oh my god, my legs hurt so bad after this and yet I still went to pilates the next day like a goddamn fool). Jared has been sick and busy so I’ve tried to book myself into pilates for the days we’ve missed at the trainer so I’m at least doing something.

I used to do pilates alllllll the time a few years ago and going back after such a long time makes me realise how ridiculously weak I’ve become but at least I’m doing something about it now, right? Plus, even though I’m from home, I do a bit more walking when I’m in the city as I usually have to walk between the various businesses. Not sure if that adds up to more or less walking across the week (probably a bit less if I’m honest) but I’m kind of using working from home as my reason to force myself to do pilates. It’s just down the road and my hours are flexible – there’s no good reason why I can’t get down there everyday or at least three or four days a week (if we don’t see our trainer).

So yeah, that’s me. Living the dream at home but still trying to figure it all out. Haven’t quite gotten to the nudity/peejay dream yet but I suppose gym gear is that little bit closer.

So in an effort not to mention the terrible shit show that is going down in the United States right now, I’m going to waffle on about how my new work from home gig is going. As of Monday, I’ve been from home and, I’ve got to say, it’s pretty damn sweet. I’m not cutting around naked or in my peejays quite as much as I’d expected but I’m feeling very productive (which would have to be the main thing, I suppose). Now it is only the first week and I haven’t had any hiccups of any kind as yet so we’ll see how that pans out but so far so good.

As part of my role as the new “social media guru” (ha!) for two of his bars, I had to go into one of the bars to get some pics of the cocktails for their new menu (and give my valued opinion on the quality of the drinks, of course). The bar is one of Jared’s new ones and I don’t actually go there very often. As a result, I barely knew any of the staff so I kind of felt like it was my first day of school. Will they like me? Will they accept me as one of their own? Or will they shun me and pretend I don’t exist? Well, I needn’t have worried (obviously, some might say). Everyone was very nice and friendly as well as very patient when I had to get photos of the drinks before anyone could try them (at Jared’s insistence) so, overall, I felt very included, which was a great weight off my mind.

Through reading this blog, you may have guessed that I’m much more of a word-y person than I am a visual one. I can appreciate a nice photo but I’m much more active on Facebook where words are more important (says me) than I am on say Instagram where it’s all about the sweet snaps (don’t even talk to me about Snapchat, not interested). I hardly ever take photos unless it’s of something that’s going to instil jealously in all my friends (that or make them laugh). So, while the captioning is fun and feels a bit more natural, the photography is going to require a bit more work from me. Plus Jared is a hard task master with a very particular idea of what he wants and likes. That being said, by the end of the cocktail tasting, I had a few shots in the bank that Jared gave the tick of approval so I think I just need to get some practice. Oh and get over my incredible self consciousness at being that person who’s always photographing everything and has to get the ‘perfect shot for Insta’.

At least Ican rest assured knowing that my being that person can be solely attributed to Jared’s desire to have a beautiful IG feed for his venues. Oh, and my desire to take on the job, I suppose I can’t forget that. Hmmm… this is all on me, isn’t it? Damn it. I hate it when that happens.

I’m just going to put it out there and say I could do both of these things before marriage. But, on a serious note, has being married changed anything? I ask myself this a bit actually and I’d have to say no – aside from giving each of us the option to give the other one shit with the occasional “oh this is what it’s like to be married now?” or “I don’t have to ask permission anymore, you’re my husband/wife, you’re officially property” jibe. So yeah, nothing’s changed in any kind of meaningful adult way.

What has changed is my work situation, which I’m pretty excited about. One of Jared’s managers quit and I’ve cut back my hours with one of my bosses so I can take on the social media component of her role. Super chuffed about that (although also a little scared). On top of that, one of his bars has started taking event bookings so I’m also the new Events Coordinator (or Captain of Events as I have self-titled myself – it’s a 1940s French Liberation themed bar). I’ll also be going to the managers meetings to see if I can make things more efficient there and generally make Jared’s life a bit easier so overall a lot more to do with his bars and a bit of a step back from my office management role (including dropping some of the stuff I wasn’t enjoying there – win!).

And the final and some might say greatest achievement – I GET TO WORK FROM HOME. Full disclosure: I do have to go in for a few hours on Thursdays and I’ll also need to go to the bars at some point to get content for my social media posts but, overall, this little piggy doesn’t have to go to market anymore. Woohoo. If this is married life, I’m digging it.

On the downside, my little puggy has been a bit more huffy and puffy than usual so I asked the vet to give him an extra look over at his monthly check up. Sadly, he has an enlarged heart which is putting pressure on his lungs and they don’t know what’s causing it. We leave him at the specialist on Wednesday for a bit of a closer look but basically, whatever they tell us, he’s just getting old.

The grumpy old sod is 12 now and, although he’s in pretty good nick (despite the missing eye and metal plate in his wrist), things are going to start failing him soon enough. Jared says I should feed him less cheese but I say let him live out his glory years in comfort and luxury. Although to be fair, he might have more glory years if I feed him less cheese. Note: I don’t actually feed him that much cheese, Jared just gives me extra shit on the few occasions when I do.